Leonore's Haiku Park Companions, Late November Ducks and geese wading through icy puddles, soft honks and quacks all mingled. After Hours at the Jewelry Store Bare velvet necks, empty as their promises of beauty when bedecked. Disappointment Yesterday, hope. Today, tears. Oh, yellow flower, how can you still bloom? The New Kittens Goodbye knickknacks, unobstructed reading, late snoozing. Hello, sweet love! Worrywart's Lament Trouble in mind, a troublin' mind. Why, oh why, is this ol' trouble mine? The Girl's Gone Love faker, heart breaker, stuff taker. Face it, guy; she ain't comin' back. Good Advice for the Attached A friendly hug. Now step back from its shivery edge of attraction. Urban Bus Stop, April Wee birds in the bush, heedless of the beer bottles beneath, sing of spring. After the Hurricane and Flood (from a story on NPR, 10/24/05) Mayan Indian flies yellow plastic kite for son, hearts unsubmerged. If Only Seen chalked on a college sidewalk: "Learning zone. Stop all stupid stuff." Ha! Achim's Cat (A true story, as told by his friend Uwe) Abandoned, lost, half frozen Rescued, loved Electrocuted Long missed Change Speaks Trample your fears, dear one! Propelled by me, your tired heart will leap anew. What the Sad Squirrel Saw, Looking Up Big old tree barely there. Trunk roped. Leaves gone. Limbs gone. Bare sky. Home erased. (This was written on 9/18/06, when only the trunk of our soon to be felled oldest cottonwood tree was still standing. A poor squirrel came up to the base, seemingly seeking its lost nest, then left in confusion.) How Someone Found Our Cottonwood Essay (March 15, 2009) His sad search string: "She knew I loved that tree, and she cut it down for spite." What's in an Apple? Flavonoids, fiber, fructose. Flavor, phytonutrients, no fat. -- Crunch! -- (This was written after I wrote an article on the benefits of apples.) The Sad Swimmer's Confession Swimming, she said, meant release, for then no one saw her tears as they flowed. The Match As You Might See It fire starter tennis war chess game pairing similars made in heaven Come the Food Revolution Teed-off tea Potatoes with chips on their shoulders Bread that screams, "You're toast!" "Down the Drain" Tell me. Where is that dark, cold hole that swallows the world's bright hopes and dreams? Tiny Toy Teddy There in the gutter: dropped, wet, muddy and forgotten ... but still smiling! "Hold That Bus!" (A young man helps an old one) He assures him they will wait, helps him up, and restores his faith in youth. A Black and Gray World View Her T-shirt reads: "Everybody lies." My hope: that cynicism dies. Unexpected Contract Work (November 2009) It falls into her lap. She laps it up. Up, up she goes. Go, girl, go! Evergreens in Winter When their leafed cousins are bare, they emerge - dark and full against the snow. Seen with Regret in the Park Today (Spring, 2010) Her dog lies resting, uncomprehending, for she's texting, not walking.